How can we build a greater relationship with Jesus Christ? What is it about our efforts that help us to come closer to Him? I think that one of the ways that we can do this is through the study of those who had good relationships with Him and whose actions did nothing less than helping them to come into His arms of love. In some cases that might be watching the example of a beloved parent or relative, a good friend, or a respected leader. Another place we can always turn for examples is the scriptures. Prophets since the beginning of time have created a relationship with the Father and the Son and patterned their life after their teachings so that they might lead us to the pathway that leads to salvation in the Kingdom of God. John the Baptist was one of those men whose life is an amazing example to study and follow.
John the Baptist understood His calling and strove to prepare the people to accept the Christ who would come and suffer that He might be our advocate with the Father. When some people came to him to ask if they should leave him to follow Jesus he said, "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:29-30) This statement is comparing Christ as the bridegroom, the kingdom of heaven as the bride, and John himself as the friend to the bridegroom. But I would submit that each of us can be that friend that finds joy in the voice of the Christ. Then his personal insight about how his relationship with the Savior can grow is voiced when he says that Christ must increase, and he himself must decrease.
At first I was confused about the relationship that this shows. In a way it can look like Christ is looking down on John as He stands in the front and John helplessly follows behind in His shadow, but I know that this is not the loving way of our Savior. He will always stand by our side in times of turmoil, and He waits patiently with His arms outstretched until we choose to come to Him. So I learned that this scripture is saying that we can not do it by ourselves. There will be times when we will need to allow our will, passions, desires or actions to decrease and step back a little bit. And then as we turn to Him in prayer and faith, His actions will increase as well as His spirit of comfort, His strength that He gives to us, His love for us, His knowledge about where He wants us to go and all things pertaining to the power of His atonement will increase in our minds and in our hearts to help us know how to follow Him and to know that it is possible. No matter the hardships we'll face, He will increase and help us get there. That doesn't mean that we don't do anything. We still try for we are saved by our efforts when we do all we can - and when we come up a bit short (which will happen), He steps in and does what we can not. He is our Savior. John the Baptist had a relationship with Christ in this way that He knew that there were things He would not be able to give to the people, but the Son of God would give all unto he who might believe and ask in His name.
I believe that John the Baptist understood all that Christ could give to Him, and that He would need to act by his own choice to follow the teachings of the Savior so that He might rejoice with Him in the Kingdom of the Father. John sent his disciples and followers away, not because what he taught was no longer true. In reality, his teachings lead towards those of the Savior and remain true to this day. But because He knew the eternal reality of the Savior and did not want anyone who might believe to not have that chance.
Each one of us deserves this chance and this choice to come closer to Christ. I know that because I know that Christ performed the infinite Atonement for each one of us personally and individually - He believes that we are worth that much. I have prayed to know of the love of God, and He has always answered those prayers to help me know and better understand that He is there and He loves me. Through my actions I choose to follow Him or to follow the world. His path is much safer, though much harder, than that of the world, and it leads us to where we can be truly happy. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of this and I know that every child of God can receive this knowledge - and I know that in my imperfections I will need to increase in my knowledge and understanding of this again and again so that I won't fall. And the promise of our Savior to us if we do this is that we will have peace, "for [His] yoke is easy and [His] burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)
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